Combination nut cracker and playing card press



May 18, 1937'. F. HILDEBRAND COMBINATION NUT CRACKER AND PLAYING CARD PRESS Filed June 11, 1936 INVENTOR FIFE-D fi/LDEBRA ND Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Fred Hildebrand, Cincinnati, Ohio Application June 11, 1936, Serial .No. 84,692 1 0laim. '(Cl. 146-15) This invention relates to presses and more particularly to small, hand operated devices adapted for home use, such for instance as cracking the shells of nuts, straightening and clamping a pack of playing cards and similar simple household purposes.

An object of the invention is to provide a small but effective press for such requirements, compact in structure, easy to operate and inexpensive to construct.

A further feature is in the provision of means whereby the device may be used for several purposes merely by attaching auxiliary parts.

Another purpose is to produce a hand press of attractive appearance adapted for any purpose that it is capable of serving.

The advantageous objects are attained by the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a material part 0t this disclosure, and in which:-

Figure 1 is a partial front elevational, partial sectional view of an embodiment of the inven tion.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the press, taken in a plane at a right angle to Figure 1 and showing it arranged to clamp a plurality of cards.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing in greater detail it will be seen that the press is composed of a circular base IS on which is concentrically secured a raised platform l6 by screws l1, while set adjustably in the base is a support screw l8 reenforcing the platform at its center.

A pair of spaced uprights are held securely to the platform by screws 2|, these uprights being connected at their upper ends by a yoke 22, held by ornamental cap screws 23.

At the center of the yoke is an enlarged boss'24 having in its bore a double screw thread of coarse pitch and preferably of square cross section, the boss acting as a nut.

Fitted to the nut is a bar having a squared shank 26 fitting a corresponding opening in a hub 21 from which radiate a pair of opposed arms 28 terminating in heavy knobs 29, preferably shaped to represent an English walnut, and acting, when rapidly rotating this bar 25, as members of a fly wheel, due to their centrifugal effect,

and constituting a handle by which the press is operated.

A cap screw 30 holds the handle on the bar 25 at its upper end and at the bottom of the bar is a fine thread 3| fitting the upper member of a die 32 having a concave face 33 and further fixed to the press bar by a set screw 34.

A corresponding, concavely faced die 35 is secured in register with the movable die 32 by screws 36 directly over the reenforcing screw l8.

In operation the handle is rotated to raise the die 32, a nut placed on the lower die 35 and pressure applied to its shell by revolving the handle; by reason of the double pitched thread on the bar 25 a rapid action is obtained and sufficient force delivered to crack the shell, which is then removed from between the dies.

When the device is used to straighten or flatten a plurality of cards, such as a pack of playing cards 40, a lower clamp block 41' is recessed as at 42 to engage over the die 35 and a similar, mating clamp block 43 is recessed as at 44 to receive the upper die 32.

The clamp blocks 4|-43 are preferably connected at their shorter ends by a flexible hingelike strip of leather 45 attached by tacks 46; the distance between the inner faces of the blocks being approximately equal to the combined thickness of the cards to be pressed.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple device for the mentioned purposes has been described in the best known form of its, embodiment, but it is to be understood that the construction may embrace such variation as may fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and sought to secure'by Letters Patent, is: i

A press comprising a solid circular base, a raisedplatform secured on said base,.a screw threaded intosaid base its head in contact with the under side of said platform, uprights on said platform having a yoke at their upper ends, a nut combined with said yoke, a double pitched screw threaded bar fitting said nut, a balanced handle having heavy terminals secured to the outer end of said bar, a die fixed on the inner end of said bar, and a mating die secured on said plat-v form in register with the first named die located directly above -said screw.

FRED HILDEBRAND. 

